The Bus
by ba0zi
Summary: Clumsy Hinata bumps into Sasuke as she rides the bus for the first time. sasuhina


**Story Concept: Clumsy Hinata bumps into Sasuke as she rides the bus for the first time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Gasping for breath, Hinata hurried along the sidewalk, in an attempt to catch the bus just before it left. She burst through the doorway just as the driver was about to close it, and smiled sheepishly at the old man before she took her place alongside a handful of standing passengers. Grabbing onto one of the leather handles above her, Hinata braced herself for the impending lurch of the bus as the driver started up the vehicle. A slight miscalculation of her stance sent the petite girl colliding into in the person behind her, who delivered a short grunt at the sudden impact.

"S-sorry," she stuttered, appalled with her actions. Keeping her head down as she turned to face him, Hinata gave him a short bow and apologized once more, trying to get her voice heard above the roar of the engine of the bus. "I apo-apologize for crashing into you."

The young man, who was almost an entire head taller than her, replied with nothing other than another short grunt, which she interpreted as slight annoyance with the whole situation. She shuffled her feet nervously and turned her body forward once more, facing the front of the bus.

He got off at the same stop she did, but walked in the opposite direction. Hinata hoped she wouldn't have to bump into him again.

-:-

"You don't normally take this line."

Hinata's head shot up in surprise, bangs fluttering wildly against her forehead. It was the man she had bumped into yesterday morning! He looked a little more threatening under the direct sunlight as it cast shadows along the smooth planes and angles of his face, what with the pale skin, dark stare, broad shoulders and looming stature—

"N-no. I just m-moved here. I'm still waiting for my car to get shipped, s-so I'm taking the bus in the meantime."

He nodded in understanding and strolled away from her, just as the bus arrived. Following behind him, Hinata climbed up the steps of the bus and stood once more, seeing no open seats. The bus lurched once again as it started, but she didn't collide into the man behind her like last time.

-:-

"When are you getting your car?"

This time, he was seated on the bench behind her, arms crossed and left ankle hooked onto his right knee. The advertisement behind him bore the name and contact information of a local realtor, along with a headshot that had been horribly vandalized, scribbled-on unibrow and all. The young man sat smack in the middle of the bench though, which left her no room to sit beside him, not that she wanted to. It was just such a pain to stand around with a heavy purse hanging off her left shoulder and an equally weighty laptop in her right arm.

Hinata shrugged at him, not really too sure herself. "S-supposedly sometime his week. But realistically, probably not until next week."

He simply nodded, giving her a slight indication that he was actually paying attention. "Why did you move?"

"I, uh, just t-transferred to the university here."

Once again, he was silent as the bus arrived, and once again, Hinata followed behind him into the bus. This time, however, there were two empty seats, and she sat beside him, trying to ignore the fluttering feeling she got in the pit of her stomach when her side was pressed against his. He really was quite handsome.

-:-

"What's your major?"

They were sitting on opposite ends of the bench, and he craned his neck towards her as he spoke. Hinata looked up nervously and stuttered out her answer. "P-political science."

"How do you like it?" he asked, with a slight raise of his eyebrows.

She grinned slightly, looking him directly in the eye. He wasn't as scary when he was sitting down. Or when he was asking her all these questions. Or when he seemed like he was genuinely interested in what she had to say. "It's not so bad. T-there are a few essays here and there, but I love the subject. It's all very in-interesting."

He nodded and turned away, facing the street. The bus was a little late today.

"You attend the same university, don't you? W-what's your major?" It was the first time she asked _him _a question. She wanted him to know that she was also interested in what he had to say.

"Criminology and Law," he answered, glancing at her once before shifting his eyes back onto the street.

"O-oh," she quietly exclaimed. "That's similar to political science, isn't it?"

The young man shrugged and stood fluidly, as the bus rolled to a stop in front of the bench. The doors opened with a hiss, and he went inside. Hinata followed behind him, and spotted an open seat in the front. She watched as he grabbed the leather strap above him and nodded at her to go sit down. Offering a grateful smile, the petite woman straightened the skirt of her sundress and sat down, swaying slightly as the bus started forward.

-:-

"What's your name?"

This time, there was no bench, no bus, no seats or bus drivers to worry about. It had been a full week since she'd ridden on that bus, since she'd seen the young man. Contrary to her expectations, her car _had_ arrived within the week (granted, on a Friday), and though she wanted to say farewell to the mysterious man at the bus stop before she stopped riding the line altogether, she felt it would be too sentimental and anticlimactic to actually do so. They barely knew each other, and she figured he probably wouldn't miss her too much.

This time, she was sitting in her political science lecture, early as always, fourth row from the front. A laptop bag was dropped beside her on the floor, and a figure settled into the seat beside her. Hinata glanced over when the questioned was asked.

She was slightly startled to see the guy from the bus sitting next to her, in _her_ class. He definitely looked less threatening under the florescent light, where all the angles of his face were lit up in a rather innocent manner. He looked younger. She couldn't help the smile from spreading across her face, couldn't help her eyes from brightening when she saw him. "Hinata. I'm Hinata."

"Pleasure to meet you, Hinata. I'm Sasuke."

-:-

Sasuke found it rather irritating that fateful morning when some mouse of a woman he'd never seen before crashed into him while he was on the bus. Obviously she'd never ridden a bus before, and seeing as he'd ridden the same line for almost two years now, obviously she'd never ridden _this_ particular bus before either.

But when she ducked her head down in a short bow and graceful apology, his curiosity was piqued when he saw this little creature. He found out that she had just moved to the city. It didn't take a genius to figure out they went to the same school, though he _was_ a genius. He had a week to get to know her, a week before her car arrived and she wouldn't ride the bus anymore.

A week that was unceremoniously cut short, when Sasuke showed up on that Friday and was (dare he say it!) disappointed when he noted her absence. That day he had planned to ask what classes she was taking, to see if he could enroll in one and fulfill some of the general education requirements he still had to take care of. It would be nice to continue to see her on a regular basis, even after she stopped taking the bus.

But she didn't show up. So the next week, Sasuke was forced to wade through every upper-division political science course offered within the university. He was about to give up on the last day, when he spotted a familiar head of long, dark blue hair sitting near the front of the lecture hall. Upon further recollection, he realized he recognized her from the back when he'd stood behind her on the bus those few times.

He dropped his laptop bag on the floor in what seemed to be relief, and (as gracefully as possible) collapsed into the seat beside her, when he saw the familiar bowed head, blunt bangs, lowered lashes, and gently curved lips. Her smile for him was gorgeous, serene. He finally learned her name, and relaxed into his seat as the professor began his lecture.

-:-

**A/N: The back of yo head is ridiculous!**


End file.
